2014-15 Conference Champs

Thurbon Earns Top Academic Honor

Katie Thurbon, second from the left becomes the first-ever Baker University athlete to be named a Capital One Academic All-America First Team selection

TOWSON, Md. â€“ Junior pole vaulter Katie Thurbon made history on Monday after being named the first-ever athlete from Baker University to the Capital One Academic All-America First Team.

For her effort both on the track and in the classroom, Thurbon was named one of 15 athletes from around the country to the 2013 Capital One Academic All-America College Division men's and women's cross country/track and field First Team, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

The Capital One College Division Academic All-AmericaÂ® men's and women's cross country/track and field teams are comprised of student-athletes from NAIA, Canadian and two-year institutions.

Joining Thurbon on the Capital One Academic All-AmericaÂ® College Division women's cross country and track and field first team are Brenna Mathes of Morningside (Iowa), Kesha Beethe of Peru State College, Katie Carr of Bethel (Ind.) College, Gabriella Dixson and Linsie Michels of Concordia (Ore.), Breanna Goring of Embry-Riddle (Fla.) University, Hannah Helker and Evan Shimanek of Oklahoma Baptist University, Erin Helmuth of Goshen, Stephanie Hescock of Northwest Christian University, Hillary Holt of College of Idaho, Sarah Kortze of Concordia (Neb.) University, Jillian Ourada of Doane, and Briana Vander Woude of Dordt College.

A junior international studies major with a 3.94 G.P.A., Thurbon earned her second NAIA All-American honor in 2013 when she finished as national runner-up for a second consecutive season in the pole vault with a mark of 3.55 meters.

The Topeka, Kan., native captured her second consecutive Heart of America Athletic Conference title this spring in the pole vault. Thurbon was also named a 2013 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete.

About Capital OneCapital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A. and Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., had $122.2 billion in deposits and $197.5 billion in total assets outstanding as of December 31, 2010. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia,

Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients. Capital One, N.A. has approximately 1,000 branch locations primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index.

Capital One, an NCAA Corporate Champion, began its affiliation with college sports with the sponsorship of the 2001 Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl (now the Capital One Bowl) and ESPN's Capital One Bowl Week. In 2010, Capital One launched the Capital One Cup, a prestigious new program rewarding NCAA Division I athletics programs for their cumulative on-field performance across multiple men's and women's sports.

In addition, Capital One sponsors the ABC College Football Halftime Report, Capital One All-America Mascot Team, all 88 NCAA Championships including the Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Championships, and numerous other collegiate athletics programs.To be eligible for Academic All-AmericaÂ® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.

Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 19,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.

For more information about the Academic All-AmericaÂ® Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com.

For a look at the full release from CoSIDA and the entire 2013 Capital One Academic All-America College Division men's and women's cross country/track and field teams, please click here.